When spice is nice
PUBLISHED ONNovember 19, 2016 1:09 AMByYeoh Wee Teck
Birds Of A Feather sneaks in Sichuan spices and flavours
I cannot handle spicy food but for Sichuan cuisine, the aromatic spices are alluring, so I'm willing to suffer the consequences.
I was excited about Birds Of A Feather (BOAF) because it promises a contemporary take on dishes while sneaking in Sichuan spices and flavours.
They kept their promise. It turned out to be an excellent experience, with a mix of traditional and unique dishes on the menu. It is one of the best debuts this year.
The owners of BOAF run Good Wood Coffee, a successful chain of cafes across Chengdu, and they know how to turn diners on.
BOAF has excellent food but half the people there are probably there for the decor - with plants, art, quirky furnishings and fixtures as lures.
There is an internationality about BOAF too. This could be a cafe in London, New York, Istanbul or Shanghai.
It is not so much the ingredients in the Fortune skewer in Sichuan pepper broth ($19) that thrilled - you have items like a quail's egg or vegetables to dip into the broth. But that glorious chicken-based broth will win over customers. The heat from the green chilli, Sichuan pepper and sesame oil is deceptive on first taste. It starts mellow before flowering into a throat-numbing soup. Add $5 for glass noodles because you will drink it all up.
The name is also comical - Find the chicken in the chillies ($16) - but it is no laughing matter how deadly the spices are. Chicken is marinated with Sichuan seasoning and then deep-fried with dried red chillies. Even as my lips were burning, I was reaching for more. Proceed with caution.
The attempt to marry East and West resulted in grilled cheese panini with braised pork belly and pickled cabbage ($20). The pork is excellent, and pickled cabbage works every time.
Crispy pork trotter in a bag ($19) works because of the addictive Sichuan spicy soya bean, made from organic soya bean, Sichuan pepper, salt and chilli powder. It's a salty, spicy combination that would be great over rice.
I thought it was strange that I didn't like BOAF's take on a most traditional Sichuan dish, the Mapo tofu ($15). This version is expected and when there are so many other dishes to explore, why waste calories on this?
WHAT
Birds Of A Feather
WHERE
113, Amoy Street
WHEN
Monday to Saturday: 10am to 11.45pm; Sunday: 10am to 6pm (From December, it's 10am to 11.45pm all week)
CALL
6221-7449
This article was first published on Nov 16, 2016.
Get The New Paper for more stories.